


after all is said and done

by fastestmanalive



Series: never saw you coming [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Implied Sexual Content, M/M, spoilers for 1x19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-05-06
Packaged: 2018-03-25 10:52:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3807616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fastestmanalive/pseuds/fastestmanalive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>super-quick super-bad reaction fic to the latest episode. sorry!!!!!<br/>title from the song Sucker Punch by OneRepublic</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> super-quick super-bad reaction fic to the latest episode. sorry!!!!!  
> title from the song Sucker Punch by OneRepublic

To his surprise, Barry almost _expects_ the person knocking at his door at this time of night to be Eddie.

A few weeks ago, it would've bothered him. But he's seen how much pain Eddie's been in lately, how guilty he feels for keeping secrets from his girlfriend, how much he _cares_ about people. It's... strange to admit, because he used to hate the guy, but Barry trusts Eddie – trusts him to keep his secret, trusts him to do the right thing.

What Barry doesn't expect is Eddie's sombre face, almost ashen, a stark contrast to his demeanour this afternoon when Barry managed to clear his name.

“Eddie?” Barry breathes out, his hand on the door handle tightening when Eddie's hard eyes flit up to his. “What--”

“She broke up with me.”

 

 

It takes a few minutes to convince Eddie to come inside and sit down. He doesn't answer any of Barry's questions, his lips pressed together in a thin line. Barry doesn't want to freak him out by using his speed – he seems to be doing that on his own just fine – so he only tries to tug Eddie into the house by his sleeve. Barry shoves him a little, not too hard, gripping his arms and manoeuvring him to the couch, a hand on his shoulder pushing him down-- And _when_ did Barry become so comfortable with touching Eddie? As far as he can remember, _Eddie's_ been the tactile one in this... whatever this is. But judging from the small crease forming between Eddie's brows and the tightening of his lips, this isn't the time to think about these things.

Barry lowers himself next to Eddie, careful not to get in his personal space – he doesn't want a repeat of the love-seat incident a couple days before, both of them awkward (not the least bit uncomfortable, to Barry's surprise) and fidgety. Eddie still isn't really looking at him, just staring off into space. Barry's starting to worry.

“Eddie.” He waits. No reply. “Eddie, what happened?”

Eddie sits completely still for a moment before breathing in shakily, his shoulders raising with it, and closing his eyes. “It's you. This is your fault.”

“Eddie--”

“No. Don't--” Eddie turns to him; Barry's never seen him so furious. “Don't you _dare_ , Allen. This is on you. _You_ were the one who wanted me to lie to Iris. _You_ were the one who even told me that _fucking_ secret in the first place!” And it's... a shock, hearing Eddie swear in front of him; Barry'd never expected it, not from him, not in a million years.

“Listen, I-- I didn't mean to--”

“Of course. You never _mean_ to do anything, right?” Eddie moves closer until their knees are touching, his lips turned down in an angry frown. “I'm sure you didn't _mean_ to beat me up, either.”

Barry racks his brain, trying to think of a time where he purposefully hurt Eddie, but-- “Oh. That-- No, Eddie, that wasn't me-- I mean, it was me, but I didn't mean--”

Eddie cuts him off with a humourless laugh, shaking his head. “How is it possible for one person to be so frustrating?”

“Uhm.” Barry knows it's a rhetorical question, but... well, he can't help it. He has to answer. “I think there are worse people in the world. I mean... the Arrow's pretty frustrating, he's stubbor--”

“What?”

“Nothing,” Barry says, heat rushing to his face because Eddie is suddenly closer, staring at him just as intensely, though a bit less like he's going to murder him.

“You tried to sabotage Iris' and my relationship. Multiple times. You-- You told her how you felt, _after_ we got together. Why--?”

“I don't know.”

“Well, you finally got what you wanted.”

Barry draws his brows together, the knot in his stomach tightening. “This... This is not what I wanted. You're both hurting.”

“And you don't want that.” It's more of a statement than a question. The sceptical look on Eddie's face makes the guilt in his chest bubble.

“Of course not. You're miserable.” Barry shrugs, trying to act nonchalant and failing spectacularly.

“I don't get you,” Eddie mumbles and frowns, that small crease between his eyebrows appearing again. Barry wishes he could make it disappear.

“What's there to get?” Barry's eyes flit between Eddie's. He's suddenly aware of the heat radiating off of the detective, the deep blue eyes boring into his.

Eddie shakes his head slightly, a movement that would have been unnoticeable had Barry not been sitting so close. “I can't seem to figure you out.” Eddie's rage seems gone now, evolved into something bigger, more intense, something that Barry both expects and is surprised by when they move in for a kiss at the same time.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so much for the incredible feedback :) although... you did all think this was going to be happy, right? sorry about this (but not really)  
> also, remember how I wrote in the first part how weird it is to hear Eddie swear? I wrote this a few days before I met Rick Cosnett and let me tell you that man has a potty mouth jfc

The hiss of his name wakes him up.

The first thing Barry's aware of is that he's wrapped around something warm. He must've cuddled into a pillow again; he really is like an octopus someti--

“Allen,” the pillow says again.

_Wait_.

Barry hesitantly opens his eyes. He sees a shock of blonde hair, hears a gruff “Allen, wake up” and the slight hitch of a breath when he moves his hips forward a little.

“ _Shit_.” Barry was at the edge of the bed in a split second, clutching a blanket to his – _naked_ , oh God – torso, scrambling to not fall off. Barry's eyes flit over Eddie's – naked as well, _Christ_ he's in trouble – form before he looks away, heat rushing to his cheeks. He hears Eddie sigh and feels a tug at his blanket.

“'m naked too, you know,” he says in a gruff voice – it reminds Barry of last night, the breathless grunts in his ear and the low pleas of “ _harder_ ” that still have him reeling. Barry flushes and swallows around the lump in his throat before letting go of the blanket.

“Sorry,” he breathes out, stretching his leg a little and accidentally hitting Eddie's hip with his foot. “ _God_ , I'm sorry, I--”

“Could you please stop apologising?” Eddie sounds and looks completely exhausted, sitting up and wiping a hand over his face. Barry's eyes wander down his chest as he moves; he swallows again and clears his throat.

“Uhm. Uh--” Barry swears the corners of Eddie's lips quirk up, but he quickly schools his face back into a neutral expression. “You-- You weren't drunk last night, were you? 'Cause I would-- That would be bad, I mean.”

Eddie sighs. “No. No, I wasn't.”

“Good.”

“Yeah.”

Barry shifts a little, clutching the hem of the blanket only to have something to do with his hands. “So, uhm--”

“We're gonna be late for work.”

“Yes! Work. Right. I can-- I can run to the bathroom, give you some privacy. You know, to get dressed.” Barry hopes his face isn't as red as he thinks.

Eddie huffs – it almost sounds like a small laugh. “I think the need for discretion flew out the window when you took my boxers off with your teeth.”

Barry gapes at him, doesn't know what to say except “Uhm.” When Eddie doesn't say anything else, Barry raises the blanket and zips out of his bedroom, hoping that Eddie didn't see anything.

 

It takes Barry a few minutes to compose himself and sneak back into his room. Eddie's dressed now, adjusting his belt and rolling his shoulders with a slight frown – that _stupid_ crease is there again and Barry _hates_ it, it means Eddie is overthinking this and possibly regretting--

“Eddie?”

He looks up. “Hm?”

_Why_ is it so hard for Barry to think rationally when Eddie's looking at him like this – open, curious, not at all like he's blaming Barry for last night. “I--”

“Is Joe home?”

“Uhm. Not yet. He--”

“Listen,” Eddie interrupts him, hints of guilt in his eyes – _He does regret it_ , Barry thinks, heart sinking. “Can we... talk about this later? I still need to go home, get changed. At this point I'll be late anyway but I don't wanna make Singh even more angry, he's practically just started trusting me.”

Eddie's stalling, doesn't want this conversation now – or later – and they both know it but neither says it. Instead Barry just nods and offers to run him to his place (partly because he feels just as guilty as Eddie, partly because he doesn't want the neighbours to see a stranger leave his house this early because they will tell Joe and Barry can't deal with that right now). Eddie accepts after a moments hesitation, takes a step closer and carefully wraps his arms around Barry's shoulders, bunching his hoodie in his fists.

Barry's pretty sure he's _almost_ breaking his limits again – and then, for a second, he imagines travelling back in time, erasing last night's events, but he remembers he has Eddie with him and he would still know what happened.

It's _torture_ , having Eddie so close and not being able to do anything about it. Barry wonders how he ever managed it before. Eddie's smell is slowly becoming familiar, the feel of hot skin through his thin shirt and hot breath on his cheek, Eddie's hands digging into his shoulders, harder the faster he gets. For Eddie the trip to his apartment building may be over in mere seconds but for Barry it feels like an _eternity_.

He sets Eddie down as soon as they arrive, not before checking if anyone is around. “Uhm. Is Iris hom-- here?” Although he corrects himself quickly, Eddie's face falls.

“No. She packed her things and checked in to a hotel. Said she had to be alone for a while.”

Barry nods and shifts from one foot to the other, trying to push his hands into his pockets until he realises how awkward he must look.

“So...” Eddie starts, tries for a smile and fails, looks at Barry a little hopelessly. “I'm... sorry. I don't usually do stuff like this. This is-- This is fucked up.” And there it is again, the cursing, so strange coming out of Eddie's mouth – except, Barry found, in bed. Eddie _swears_ _like a sailor_ in bed.

“Uh. Yeah. Me neither. I'm-- I'm sorry, too. But you said we'll talk, right?” Barry can't help being hopeful – for what, he isn't sure, he'll decide that later.

Eddie grimaces a little but nods. “Yeah. Later.”

Barry is about to run back to his house – he has to get away from this, he feels like he's going to _combust_ , it hurts – when Eddie takes his hand and squeezes it. “Barry.” Barry looks up at him, gives a thin-lipped smile. “We'll talk later. _Promise_.”

Barry nods and squeezes back before _wooshing_ off, trying not to accidentally cause a car accident with the way he's almost tripping over his own feet.

 


End file.
